Review of Dagashi Kashi

So it's been a while since I wrote a review, obviously, but then again it had been a while since I'd watched much anime. I moved out of my parent's home and into my own place since then and I decided I was in the mood for some Slice of Life anime. And that anime was...Azumanga Diaoh. And it was damn great. But AD got my appetite wet for more Slice of Life anime and by sheer happenstance I happened upon this Dagashi Kashi, an anime about working in a small Dagashiya, a sort of small corner shop that sells cheap sweets similar to Penny sweets inthe UK.
Having worked in a newsagents myself for 3 years, I thought this would be so relatable, and I was right. The very feeling of the show brought memories back of working in a similar establishment, to the sheer mundane discussions with co-workers and customers to the various background items on sale, I felt right at home watching this anime series.
But that's my personal experience with it, how does it fair as an anime?
Well, very well it turns out. The banter-based feel of the comedy reminds me a little of Kevin Smith's Clerks mixed with the over the top visuals of Family Guy and the two actually blend surprisingly well.
A Slice of Life comedy is only as good as it's characters and thankfully they're all really great, with the stand out obviously being Haruto Shidare, the eccentric sweet obsessive trying to sway Kokonutso to take over his father's Dagashi store so she can hire his dad for her Dagashi company.
But the other characters are great as well, Kokonutso sort of being the only apparent sane person who reacts to all the mad crap going on around him much like any shop worker would.
The Endo twins, To and Saya, being great support characters that have a funny Brother-Sister dynamic and Yo, Kokonutso's father and owner of the Dagashi store, who you'd think initially is the archetypal patriarchal figure who thinks his son should focus more on taking over the business than wasting his time drawing Manga. But surprisingly, that's only the half truth. Yo, while wanting Kokonutso to follow his legacy, is actually very encouraging of his son's talents and it's actually Kokonutso who takes on a more mature role between the two.
I mean, this show is overall an animated sitcom first and foremost so nothing about it is deep or tries to get a message across. It's just a short, sweet and fun little series that wants to make sure you just enjoy yourself.
Much like the Dagashi the show is based around actually, thinking about it.
After finishing the first season, I immediately followed on to the 2nd which is treat like a separate series despite being a direct follow on.
And boy do I have a few things to say about this one...